Our team
Our team consists of highly qualified and motivated professionals, who are all experts in their subject. With many years of experience in education, they have the expertise to provide comprehensive, first-rate services to our pupils and families.
Sally Alexander
Executive Headteacher
BA (hons), PGCE, MBA, FCCT, FRSA, SLMDA, MBE.
Sally Alexander was privately educated in Harrogate before studying Music at Durham university, and then opting to practise her skills abroad. She lived in Antigua for ten years, and whilst there was given the opportunity of starting a youth orchestra. With very few resources and little support, this grew from five pupils to thirty with a waiting list, and led to international tours and the formation of a string school. She moved back to the UK and has spent that time pursuing her passions of education and music, completing a PGCE in 2011. Her major objective since arriving back was to start an “after school” music school, but following the completion of her PGCE she identified the fact that Birmingham was missing a school that really specialised in music. This idea broadened into creating a secondary school that specialises in music, and which has a very different ethos and way of teaching, learning and day to day running. And so Kimichi was born…
Sally has spent time in the UK teaching in a maintained school, and assisting with school music projects. She is an active member of Birmingham’s musical community; performing, teaching, leading and encouraging young people to get involved. She is an avid musician, lending her skills to West Midland based groups Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. John, Sinfonia of Birmingham, Eroica Camerata, and both the Worcester and Chandos Symphony Orchestras.
Sally was awarded an MBE in Her Majesties Honours for 2021 in recognition of her Service to Education.
2023 also saw Sally obtain an MBA in Education Management from Salford University and admitted as a Fellow to the Chartered College of Teachers (FCCT) alongside her Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). It is in recognition of a significant and sustained contribution to the teaching profession. As the highest and most prestigious category of membership at the Chartered College, it is a mark of a the achievements, skills and expertise as a teaching professional. She is currently completing another Masters in Educational Leadership.
Chris Passey
DSL & SENDCo
MA, PGDip, CMgr, FCCT, FCMI, FIoL, FRSA
Chris is a passionate educator and has been at Kimichi since September 2016 where he joined as our Year 6 English and Maths teacher. Becoming Deputy Head in 2017 and SENDCo in 2019, Chris has firmly helped shape and mould the school under the stewardship of Sally and the team.
Responsibilities across the school also include Curriculum, Personal Development and specifically English. As SENDCo, Chris is committed to ensuring that all students have parity of access to the Kimichi Curriculum and that no ‘SEND’ should inhibit the individual success of each child.
Committed to his own development, Chris is studying for an MA in Educational Leadership with Coventry University.
Outside of Kimichi, Chris is co-Musical Director of Birmingham Voices, a professional choir that has toured the UK with Josh Groban, Russell Watson and works regularly with BBC Songs of Praise and Raymond Gubbay Ltd.
Chris was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts in March 2016 and admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching in January 2023 in recognition of a significant and sustained contribution to the teaching profession. As the highest and most prestigious category of membership at the Chartered College, it is a mark of a the achievements, skills and expertise as a teaching professional.
Siobhan King
Head of STEM
MRes, BSc (Hons)
Siobhan King began her Kimichi journey in 2019, Miss King teaches Biology, Chemistry and Geography classes.
Achieving a BSc Hons Environmental Geoscience from the University of St. Andrews 2014, an MRes in Vertebrate Palaeontology from the University of Southampton 2016 and PGCE in Secondary Geography from the University of Worcester 2019.
During her studies, Miss King undertook over 100 days of field work all over Europe. This includes everything from geological mapping in Scotland and Spain, sampling glacial rivers in the Swiss/Italian Alps, fossil hunting for dinosaur bones on the Isle of White, and underwater archaeology of shipwrecks off the southwest coast of England.
Outside of her specialist study areas, Miss King is a keen lover of folk music from the British Isles and beyond, and is a passionate A Capella singer and Lever (folk) Harp player! This love of folk music extends into Ceilidh and Scottish country dancing, and she is also a ceilidh caller for the Juniper ceilidh band!
Kiera Alexander
Head of Pastoral
Kiera Alexander plays a key role in the pastoral life of Kimichi School, where she supports the wellbeing and personal development of every pupil. With a strong focus on guidance, care, and positive relationships, Kiera ensures that students feel safe, valued, and ready to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
Alongside her pastoral responsibilities, she leads on LIFE and Careers, helping pupils build confidence, resilience, and the skills they need for life beyond school. Her background as a teacher, together with her love of music—particularly guitar and percussion—enables her to connect with students creatively as well as pastorally.
Kiera also serves as a trustee of the school, reflecting her deep commitment to Kimichi’s ethos and future. She believes in nurturing every child as an individual, supporting them not just academically, but emotionally and socially, so they can reach their full potential.